Open wardrobe: what the Khoollect team wears to work

***Rachel Khoo would like to thank all the inspiring people who helped make the Khoollect studio a hive of creativity. Although the Khoollect studio’s doors have now closed, you can keep up with Rachel’s newest adventures on RachelKhoo.com and on Rachel’s Instagram and Facebook pages – and, continue to enjoy the Khoollect website’s stories and recipes, which will remain available.***

Deciding what to wear to work can take up a large portion of your morning (or an evening before work, for those organised few). In fact, studies have suggested that women can spend around a year of their lives making these choices. Yep, that’s a year spent standing in front of an open wardrobe pondering what to wear. Whether you’re required to don corporate get-up, love to express creativity in your working attire, or even if you work from home, this is not an ideal use of your precious time.

If you’re going to spend a lot of time thinking about your daily outfits, we think it should become a fun experience — rather than a year-long chore. Here, the squad behind Khoollect discusses typical work-day outfits and personal style philosophies:

Rachel Khoo, Editor-in-Chief

Rachel Khoo

My wardrobe is a mixed-bag selection of outfits suitable for everything: from hopping on long flights to far-flung destinations, to filming TV shows, dressing up for a photoshoot, testing a new recipes, and walking the dog or cycling around London. Most of the time my style gives a little nod to mid-century silhouettes, with full skirts, fun colours, vintage-style scarves, bright knits and polished dresses. And of course, I love to add a vibrant lipstick to complete the look. You can check out my Australian fashion picks here to see what I wore on the set of My Kitchen Rules Australia, and take a look at my favourite lipsticks, here.

Rhia Chohan, Contributor

Rhia Chohan

Most days of the week I work from my little office in my Manchester home, where you’ll find me curled up in a comfy tee-and-jeans combo (plus my trusty specs). But when I’m travelling to London to visit Khoollect HQ, you’ll likely catch me in my favourite Nike Theas teamed with a Burberry trench and a pattered blouse. I love a boho-tribal print for summer, and stripes all year-round. You’ll rarely spot me leaving the house without hoop earrings or a nice bright lippy.

Sonya Gellert, Deputy Editor

Sonya Gellert

Big glasses? Check. Repeat pattern? Check. Be it polka-dots, stripes, geometric shapes or cacti, I’m a relentless pattern devotee. As much as I’d like to adopt a minimalist lifestyle — boasting a half-empty wardrobe filled with sensible items that can be mixed and matched — I haven’t quite reached that level of maturity just yet. For now, I’m having fun with offensively loud prints in too-bright colours, sparkly shoes and pom poms. For work, and play, I like to throw on a loose-fitting smock-style dress for maximum comfort. The dress pictured in this photograph is from Gorman and is part of the brand’s collaboration with Camille Walala. Whenever possible, I prefer to purchase from smaller, independent brands that care about sustainability and top working conditions for makers.

Lara Messer, Creative Editor

Lara Messer

My style is a simple one: I love stripes and solid colours, like black, blue and grey, black Edwin jeans, a denim jacket and Nikes. I recently took part in Project 333 – tearing apart my wardrobe and leaving behind only what made me happy and feel the best I can feel. The pieces I’ve held onto bring me so much joy and most of the time are an ethical brand like People Tree.

As a photographer and graphic designer, it’s so important to have practical and comfortable clothes. I could be precariously dangling from a ladder to get the perfect shot, or down on the ground creating video content … so flexibility is key! I also have a habit of spilling coffee on all my clothes, so easy-to-wash clothing is important.

Bex Shannon, Content Coordinator

Bex Shannon

Working in London I would pretty much always ride my bike to work, so high-waisted jeans or dungarees, a pair of worn-in chucks, a casual shirt and a headscarf (to tame my ‘do) became staples in my wardrobe. Needless to say, I was often the shabbier of the prim and tidy Khoollect team! My true calling, however, is vintage and reproduction clothing. And, now that I’m back working from home in New Zealand, I’ve been reunited with my collection (or hoard) of  far, far too many dresses. There’s upwards of 70 frocks that I’ve collected from various countries and countless vintage and thrift stores over the years (and that’s after recently scaling back). I rarely wear jeans now, except when mooching around the house. My work pals probably don’t believe this!

You may also like

Profile Photo
WRITTEN BY:
Sonya Gellert

Sonya Gellert is a contributing writer and associate editor for Khoollect. She lives in Sydney....

READ MORE BY Sonya Gellert

You decide

Your dream holiday destination

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...